How to Find Metadata in Word Documents

To find metadata in a Word document, open the file and select File > Info. The Properties list on the right shows the author, title, tags, dates and word count. For the complete list, choose Properties > Advanced Properties.

Before you send a contract or a resume, you want to see whose name is stored in the file and when it was last edited. These steps match Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2024 and Word 2021 on Windows.

What Counts as Metadata in a Word File

Microsoft’s guide to viewing or changing Office file properties treats “document properties” and “metadata” as the same thing: details about a file that describe it or identify it, rather than the text you typed. Word keeps four kinds:

• Standard properties such as author, title and subject. You can fill these in or change them. Keywords are also called Tags.
• Automatically updated properties such as file size, the dates the file was created and last changed, and the number of words or characters. Word maintains these, and you can’t type over them.
• Custom properties that you or your organization add, holding text, a date, a number or a yes or no value.
• Document library properties, which apply when the file lives in a SharePoint library or similar shared location.

There is also a second layer people often forget: content that travels inside the document but isn’t visible in normal reading, such as comments, tracked changes, hidden text and personal information in headers. Word’s Document Inspector reports all of these, so it belongs in any metadata check (more on that below).

Each place to look shows a different slice. Use this table to pick one:

Where to look	What you see	Best for
File > Info in Word	Size, pages, words, title, tags, comments, dates, people	A quick check of who and when
Advanced Properties dialog	Summary fields (manager, company, category), statistics, custom properties	The full property list, plus editing
File Explorer Properties > Details	Many of the same fields without opening Word	Checking several files, or a file you’d rather not open
Document Inspector	Comments, revisions, hidden text, personal information and more	A final check before you share

See the Basics in File > Info

The Info page is the fastest view and needs nothing more than the open document.

1. Open the document in Word.
2. Select the File tab, then select Info in the left column.
3. Look at the Properties list on the right side of the page. You’ll typically see Size, Pages, Words, Total Editing Time, Title, Tags and Comments.
4. Scroll down the right side to the date and people sections. These usually appear as Related Dates (last modified, created, last printed) and Related People (Author and Last Modified By).
5. Select Show All Properties at the bottom of the list to add fields such as Subject, Categories, Company and Manager.

A blank field means nothing is stored there yet. The Words count on this page is the same statistic Word tracks for the whole document; for counts of a selection or characters, see how to count characters in Microsoft Word.

Open Advanced Properties for the Full List

The Info page doesn’t show everything. The Advanced Properties dialog lets you view document information and statistics in one place, and it’s where Microsoft’s steps have you manage custom properties.

1. Go to File > Info.
2. Select Properties at the top of the properties list on the right.
3. Choose Advanced Properties. A dialog opens with several tabs.
4. Open the Summary tab to see Title, Subject, Author, Manager, Company, Category, Keywords and Comments.
5. Check the other tabs. On most versions you’ll find General (file location and dates), Statistics (such as revision count and editing time) and Contents, plus a Custom tab for added properties.

The Summary tab is where surprises tend to hide. Picture a cover letter you built by opening an old one from a previous job and saving it under a new name. The Author field may already show your name, but Company could still list the former employer, and Manager might name your old supervisor. Those fields came along with the copied file, and the Info page doesn’t show them until you select Show All Properties.

Read or Add Custom Properties

Some workplaces stamp files with custom properties such as a client number, a project code or a review status. To see or add them:

1. In Advanced Properties, select the Custom tab. Existing custom properties appear in the Properties box at the bottom.
2. To add one, type or pick a Name, choose a Type (text, date, number, or yes or no) and enter a Value.
3. Select Add, then OK.

If the value doesn’t match the type you chose (letters in a Number property, for example), Word stores it as text.

Check Metadata Without Opening Word

Windows can show a Word file’s properties from File Explorer. This helps when you’re sorting a folder of downloads, or when you’d like to look before opening an attachment.

1. Open File Explorer and find the .docx file.
2. Right-click the file and choose Properties.
3. Select the Details tab. The list may include fields such as Title, Subject, Tags, Authors, Last saved by, Revision number and the dates the content was created and last saved, depending on your Windows version.

At the bottom of the Details tab there may be a link named Remove Properties and Personal Information. It can make a copy of the file with the removable properties cleared, or remove only the properties you select from the original. It clears properties only, not the contents of the file, so comments and tracked changes stay put. That makes it a quick property cleaner, not a substitute for the Document Inspector.

Find Hidden Data With Document Inspector

The property lists above show labels and dates. Document Inspector goes further and checks the content of the file for things a reader could uncover. You don’t need any extra software for this; it’s built into Word.

Warning: Microsoft’s Document Inspector instructions recommend inspecting a copy, because you may not be able to undo what it removes. Use File > Save As to make a copy first.

1. Open the copy and go to File > Info.
2. Select Check for Issues, then Inspect Document.
3. Leave the check boxes selected for the kinds of content you want checked, then select Inspect.
4. Read the results. Each category that found something shows a short description and a Remove All button. Select Close if you only wanted to look.

In Word, Document Inspector checks for:

• Comments, revisions, versions and annotations, including the names attached to them.
• Document properties and personal information: the Summary, Statistics and Custom tab properties, plus e-mail headers, routing slips, send-for-review information, document server properties, content type information, user name and template name.
• Headers, footers and watermarks.
• Hidden text formatted as hidden. It can’t detect text that is merely colored white on a white page.
• Custom XML data and invisible content, such as objects formatted so they don’t show.

Comments and tracked changes are the items most likely to reveal names and earlier wording. If you want to keep some edits visible, deal with them first using Track Changes in Word, or print a clean copy with Word’s print-without-comments setting. For which boxes to clear and what each removal deletes, follow how to remove personal information from a Word document.

Edit the Author, Title or Other Properties

Standard properties are yours to change. Automatically updated ones, such as created date and word count, are not.

1. Go to File > Info.
2. Hover over a field such as Title, Tags or Comments, click it, and type the new value.
3. For Author, right-click the name under Related People and choose Edit Property (or Remove). Type the new name in the Edit person box and select OK.
4. Select the back arrow to return to the document, then save.

You can also edit Summary fields directly in the Advanced Properties dialog, which is quicker when you need to change Company or Manager.

Change the Name Word Puts on New Files

Editing Author changes that one file only, and it doesn’t change your Office User name. To set the name for documents you create from now on, use the setting in Microsoft’s author name instructions:

1. Select File > Options.
2. On the General page, under Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office, type your name in User name.
3. Select Always use these values regardless of sign-in to Office so your account name doesn’t replace it, then select OK.

This User name also labels your comments and tracked changes, so a shared work computer set to a former colleague’s name will put that name on every edit.

When the Metadata Looks Wrong

• Someone else is listed as Author. The file probably started as a copy of their document or a template they made. Saving under a new name keeps the original properties. Edit Author as shown above, and check Company and Manager too.
• Last Modified By shows a coworker. That’s usually the User name set in Word on the last computer that saved the file, and it should change to yours the next time you save it.
• The created date looks too recent. Created, modified and printed dates are automatic properties, and a copied or downloaded file may show newer dates in File Explorer than the ones Word records. Word doesn’t let you type over automatic properties.
• Your name came back after you cleaned the file. Editing and saving adds fresh information, such as Last Modified By. Make your last edits first and run Document Inspector as the final step before sending.
• You need older wording, not just older dates. Properties don’t store earlier text. For that, use Word’s previous versions and AutoRecover copies.

On a Mac, Microsoft’s properties page doesn’t give Word for Mac steps. Look for a Properties command on the File menu, which may open a similar dialog with Summary and Statistics tabs; labels can differ from Windows.

Word Metadata Questions

Can someone see who created my Word document?

Yes, if the Author property is filled in. Anyone who opens the file can see it at File > Info, and anyone with the file on a Windows PC can see it on the Details tab in File Explorer without opening Word.

Can I change the created or last modified date?

Not inside Word. Microsoft classes dates, file size and word counts as automatically updated properties that you can’t specify or change. Saving the file updates the modified date.

Is the word count part of a document’s metadata?

Yes. Microsoft lists the number of words or characters among the automatically updated properties, alongside file size and dates. Anyone who opens the file can see the counts at File > Info, and Word refreshes them as the text changes.

Can I check metadata in Word for the web?

Microsoft’s properties instructions are written for the desktop app, and the browser version doesn’t get its own steps there, so it may show fewer details. If a file in OneDrive or SharePoint needs a full check, open it in the desktop app or download a copy first.

Does removing metadata change the text of my document?

Removing Document Properties and Personal Information clears properties, not your body text. Other Document Inspector categories do remove content, such as comments, tracked changes, or headers and footers, so read each result before you select Remove All.

Next time a file is ready to go out, make File > Info your last stop: scan the author and dates, open Show All Properties, and run Inspect Document on a copy.